3 phrases brands should never post to Facebook

Running your company's Facebook page can sometimes be harrowing; you might feel like you can't say very much for fear of offending someone. While you do have to be careful, you are free to say quite a bit as long as you consider how it may impact your customers.

Once in a while, though, you run into something you should not say under any circumstances.

Here are the phrases you never want to post on Facebook:

1. "I don't know what to do."

Your customers come to your Facebook page for many reasons, but a common one is to seek help with a problem. Facebook pages have become a common way for the public to reach their favorite brands and businesses for help without sending an email or spending all day on the phone.

The last thing your customers want to hear from you is, "I have no idea what to do for you."

Don't take this to mean you can never be confused about an issue, but don't let the customer know you're utterly lost. Consider rewording it as "We'll look into it," or "We're on it, thanks for letting us know." Be sure to follow up when the problem is solved.

2. "This group is better than that group."

This no-no can come in many forms, whether it's discussing if Apple fans are better than Microsoft fans, or letting some accidental bias slip out. What these boil down to is "this group is better than that group."

Showing preference of any kind hardly ever goes well if you're trying to sell broadly. Even if you're strictly a niche company, showing preference can still bite you in the butt later. What if your niche changes to the group you offended earlier? It all comes back around eventually.

3. "This page is for positivity only."

Of course you want your company's page filled with butterflies and unicorns. Positive and encouraging comments always feel great. However, sometimes customers need to vent or figure out an issue.

If you make your customers feel like their negative comments aren't welcome, you defeat the purpose of a Facebook page. The idea is for customers to go online and talk with their favorite businesses and tell them what they think. If you ignore that or delete comments you don't like, customers will stop being able to relate to your business. Eventually, they'll ignore you altogether.

Mickie Kennedy is the CEO and founder of eReleasesand blogs atPR Fuel, where a version of this article originally appeared.